Rewriting Escape from the Land of the Dead
by CosmicCthulhuComic
Summary: I've added some things and re-arranged some others, a few i amputated completely. It's still the same story, there are zombies, and monsters and an ancient civilization that has yet to be formally observed. There is more blood, more then we thought possible. I was trying to continue this piece but it wasn't going to flow properly if I didn't do this, my sincerest apologies.
1. Chapter 1

It was late in the evening, the sun was setting over the clouded sky of the Land of the Black Sand. The last little glints of sunlight dissolving into night. Mozenrath was working in one of the multitudinous laboratories that the citadel had acquired, either by design or necessity. He was researching the domain of his current foe, the Al muddy. Battle strategies, attacks, counter attacks and the like. It had occurred to him that if the seven deserts would benefit from him eradicating at least one of the opposing magical colonies that it would be the land of the destructive mud people. His theory was that if he mixed a certain chemical acid with their genetic makeup then they would revert to their basic elements,earth and water, instead of their current golem like state. It would be a glorious and beneficial campaign for everyone.

Their existence surely must have been the work of another wizard, a half crazed fool who thought it was a good idea to create an earth people army, but of course it wasn't. And the poor fool was probably dead now, swallowed by the earth, entombed in a cavern, or drowned in a wrenched pool of slurrie. Mozenrath involuntarily shuddered, being buried alive was definitely in the top five of his least favorite was to die.

It was never a good idea to create an army. Destane had tried that with the mamlocks and had failed. Well maybe not failed, they were formidable, but they were lazy and reluctant creatures. It had taken everything Mozenrath had to convince them to work at all. Most of them didn't work though, just lurked about. Cluttering the shadows, inhabiting abandoned homes, shuffling about aimlessly. It was like pulling teeth from a roadrunner to get them to look like they were guarding the place, it was even harder to convince them to attack intruders. He had won the battle though, on the premise that if they kept him safe he would never let an outside force destroy them, and there were many that would try. After Mozenrath had subdued... Forcibly reasoned with his old teacher and...coerced Him to retire early for the health of the statedom other kingdoms started lining up to conquer and or destroy them. Something about a city full of un-dead people really unnerved outsiders.

But that wasn't to say that The Land of the Black Sand was exclusively home to the un-dead, there were others. Creatures of the night that kept to themselves that could not and would not be swayed by any display of power or sorcery. Creatures that long ago had made a covenant with their kingdom and abide by ancient rules. Rules that had been inscribed on a stone in a dark cave in a long dead language. And because of those commandments in that cave that all the citizens abide by, that he abides by, they excepted him as their current regent. At least for now. The whole process was complex, intricate and insane. It was ,on a whole, diplomacy at its finest.

A thin shadow drifted over the text he was analyzing. Xerxes was asleep, floating above his master s head in that sea creature way where the subject isn t fully asleep nor is it awake. It s not defenseless, but it s not active. You are fascinating , my companion. He thought as he stretched his cramped neck toward the ceiling. It was then that he heard a soft scratching sound coming from the hallway. Shuffling. A mamlock appeared in the doorway. What in the name of Darkness could they want. thought Mozenrath. The mamlock came closer.

"Yes, what is it?" asked the regent, a little annoyed at being bothered "And so help you, it better be good."

Mozenrath s full attention was on the mamlock that entered the room. It s yellow eyes starring directly into his in an almost taunting way. Mozenrath sighed, suffocating his anger, he didn't t like it when people, especially un-dead people, had the audacity to keep eye contact with mamlock took his saber and raised it so that it was level with its jaw. He then pressed the blade into his lips severing the cords that bound his mouth shut. The blade came away smeared with reddish black blood ,the mamlocks jaw lowered and the revenant grinned wide reveling two rows of sharp jagged teeth. Coagulating blood dripped from the ghouls mouth and splattering on the stone floor. The mouth moved up and down, gnashing the air, the tongue that had been dormant for so long darting in and out.

"hunger..." whispered the ghoul in a raged voice. "hunger..."

Oh no. Whispered the necromancer. He cautiously backed away from the mamlock. He had feared that something like this would happen. It had only been a matter of time. He reached up and grabbed his familiar, the eel gave a start at the sudden awakening but stilled upon sensing his masters level of distress. The revenate did not look away from the living man. It was like an animal eyeing something tasty. Mozenrath started muttering an incantation under his breath, when it concluded a inky black portal opened behind him. He backed through it slowly never loosing eye contact with the creature across from him. Once he was through the mamlock lunged to attack, Mozenrath slammed the portal closed, escaping the vengeful villain.

He knew it was too late, as it goes with any infestation where there is one there are bound to be more. A coup had formed, a rebellion against the living councilman. The Citadel was under attack!

 _Meanwhile, in Agrabah_

Aladdin and Jasmine were in the throne room with the Sultan discussing what would need to be done while he was gone during his journey to discuss peace with a country that lay in the far East. Another ambassador from the south would be passing through in the small regents absence and if the slightest thing went wrong during his visit he might take it as an insult and declare war on the kingdom. They were assuring the monarch that all would be fine, not an ambassador in all the seven deserts would ever find the peaceful land of Agrabah a deplorable place. They were just finishing up when Razoul, the captain of the royal guard approached.

"Your highness," he said, a bit out of breath "We have just received word that there has been a disturbance in the accursed Land of the Black Sand. We fear that they may be gathering their forces to desiccate the seven deserts."

"Good gracious." Exclaimed the monarch "We should take action right away."

"My thoughts as well, Sir. I have ready assembled a small troop for a reconnaissance mission. We will send word back as to what the situation is upon arriving."

The Sultan was bristling with panic. "Good very good. He turned to his daughter and future son in-law. Can you handle this while I m gone or should I stay and send an apology to the King of Siam as to why I won t be arriving in his land"

"Go" said his daughter "the farther away you are from any war involving the Land of Black Sand the better."

"But you and..."

"We' ll be fine, " assured Aladdin "I will go with Razoul personally, if anyone knows what Mozenrath is capable of it's me." A blue cloud of smoke appeared and formed into Aladdin's best friend Genie.

"I' ll go too Al." He said with a grin. We "ll knock the wind out of wizard boy and his slimy compadre."

"No, If it s Mozenrath I don t want to risk you falling to his insatiable thirst for power, also he can detect magic within the city and I have a feeling Razoul wants to stay off Mozenrath s tracking system. You and Carpet should stay here."

"Ahh, I see." Said the djinn approvingly, "keeping it covert. Flying under the radar. But, Al, what if things get bad. What should we do for back up? Maybe Carpet and I could wait outside the city and..."

Jasmine cut Genie off mid-sentance "If things get bad then Razoul will send us a messenger to signal for back up. It would be better to know what we're up against first before charging in with magic. Magic that Mozenrath can pinpoint and subdue right away. This operation will call for cleverness, we all know what that evil sorcerer is capable of."

"Fine," pouted their blue friend "but I m not happy about it."

"Sultan, "said Razoul "If we are going to do this we must leave now."

"Understood, away with you then and God speed."

Aladdin embraced Jasmine and kissed her."See you when I get back.

"It s just another day in the heroic life of Aladdin." She said with a smile, and they parted

 _Later_

Razoul's party entered the Land of the Black Sand with minimal effort, which was no effort. No defense spells or wards. Nothing, it was Erie. They came to the gates of the putrid city and found out why. The city was on fire! Smoke billowed up and mingled with the black skies. It was an empire in chaos, perfect chaos. Low moaning could be heard from within the walls, and primal screeches filled the sky.

"Quickly men" said Razoul "there are living people in there"

"The fiend" said another guard.

They entered the city galloping on their stallions. The sound of moaning surrounded them, it became louder the farther they went in. The city was like a labyrinth, twists and turn. It was very easy to get lost, and the further in they went the tighter it became. The streets narrowed and the buildings seemed to converge in on each other.

"Don t panic in a place like this" said Aladdin to Razoul "with the streets as tight and closed off like this it s far to easy to get turned around or pined in. It was built as a fortress, don t forget that."

"You don t have to tell me that Street Rat. I ve been doing this since before you could walk."

"Point taken, but I know the enemy, and how much he wants to be left alone."

Razoul nodded. They rod on in silence, Mostly silence there was still the moaning and screeching and occasional laughing.

The party rounded a corner and came upon a group of mamlocks. Strike that, bloody mamlocks! They caught sight of Aladdin and the party and attacked. Pulling guards down from their steeds. Biting into their necks. The sound of moaning was replaced by the sound of screaming. Human blood splashed onto the ground. Aladdin, Razoul, and the part of the party that was lucky enough to have not fallen victim to the blood thirsty ghouls fled.

Razoul reached into his saddle bag and produced a flair, he snapped the end of it and it shot into the air causing a bright shock of light to appear in the sky over head.

"What are you doing?" shouted Aladdin.

Signaling our watch, letting them know we need help. Razoul responded.

They heard the screams of a fellow guard from behind them, then the sound of flesh being torn and consumed. Neither Razoul or Aladdin had the courage to look back.

"They arn't human!" exclaimed Razoul Monsters! Green hands rose behind the burly guard and clasped his shoulder, he was immediately taken by the mamlocks. Still screaming the hoard devoured the noble captain. Aladdin tried to turn his horses around and reach for Razoul in a desperate attempt to save him but the mamlocks had started eating the horse. And within five seconds time Razoul, who had been such a constant in the former street rats life was no jumped from the horse, leaving it to its grizzly fate, knowing that he would have a better chance running on his own. He ran but the mamlocks were right behind him, making savage sounds. He could swear he felt a few swipe at his back.

He was a good ways away form the initial attack and had lost most of the un-dead monsters when he tripped on a loose stone. He fell to the ground, landing on something sharp. A dismantled magic detecting crystal. It cut deep into his left leg. Blood started to run down the length of is leg and onto his foot. This only drew more of the hellish things to him. He kept running, looking for access to a roof top but finding non. He was losing a lot of blood and was running out of breath. His body willed him to stop and he fell against a wall.

The hoard was closing in. He could see the yellow in their eyes and the blood on their teeth. Then something strange happened. Just as the evil mamlocks were about to reach him he felt an icy chill run up his spin. Something dragged him away from his impending doom and into darkness.

"Well, well, as if things weren't bad enough." said a familiar voice and then all was dark.

 _In the grave yards outside of Agrabah_

The Grave Robber was sifting through the darkened cemetery trying to determine which plots were freshly installed and if the occupants were worth taking back to the Citadel. The Grave Robber had been snatching bodies since their Mayors in-statement as the head of their town, however most people considered the Land of the Black Sand a Kingdom unto itself. This was simply not true, The Land of the Black Sand wasn't even their towns name, not that any one ever cared. One look at some body from their town and most people would scream, runaway or start gibbering to themselves about how impossible something or someone was and if it were not so insulting it would be hilarious. The Grave Robber found a fresh plot and started digging.

Grave Robber had reached the casket in less then an hour, they were starting to pry the top off when they heard a sound that made them pause. It was a person, carefree breathing, clumsy footsteps, yes, a child.

"Hey, said the voice of an adolescent Whatcha doing down in that hole?"

This startled the Grave Robber, they didn't t say anything, just pulled their hood further over their face and their cloak tighter around them, they didn't t want to scare the kid and have it scream. That would only alert people to their presence and they couldn't have that?

"So, didn't you hear me?" asked the kid "Why are you in the hole, are you plundering this grave trying to steal jewelry or money or something? Is that what your doing?"

The Grave Robber said nothing.

"Do you need any help?" the kid asked "My name's Wahid, I ll help you if i can get a cut of the treasure to. What do you say? Many hands make lite work."

The Grave Robber nodded and Wahid jumped down in the hole with them.

"So what s your name?" asked Wahid.

"I am called the Grave Robber that is my only name."

"Oh...That s an awful lot to say... mister?"

The Grave Robber said nothing

"... Miss?..."

"I am just the Grave Robber, please."

"Hmm, that s ok. Can I call you Rob? Maybe Graves?"

Again, silence from the Grave Robber.

"Yeah," said Wahid, "I m gonna call you Graves."

"What ever works best for you." The Grave Robber responded.

They opened the casket they had been prying lose to find a fresh corpse laying within. The Grave Robber smiled, Mozenrath would be pleased they knew. A whole body and not a scratch on they. She had been beautiful in life and death had not altered her too much yet. She was young, dressed in her finest silks, gold bracelets adorned her wrist and a gold chain with rubies hung loosely around her neck. Most likely a sickness had taken her. The Grave Robber looked over at their new companion, the age of the lady had no effect on the fact , Wahid looked elated to find her.

"Jackpot." Exclaimed Wahid. "You sure know how to pick em, Graves."

The Grave Robber sighed and relived the lovely corpse of her jewels. A veil had been placed over her head, the Grave Robber removed that as well and used it to bag up the treasures. They thrust the whole of it at the child." Thanks," Said the Grave Robber.

"Wait?"exclaimed Wahid, "you dont want any? What was the point of digging her up if you didn't t want the treasure? I just helped you pry up some boards, you did most of the work."

The Grave Robber shook their head and chuckled softly, they picked up the fresh corpse from its unearthed bed and slung her over their shoulder. "Don t worry about the jewels, Kid. I got what i came for."

The Grave Robber climbed out of the now pilfered plot and looked back at their one time accomplice. "Thanks for all your help, people don t usually like talking to me. Maybe one day I ll see you again, have a nice life." And the Grave Robber disappeared with their prize in a puff of grey smoke. Wahid was glad he now had treasure and truth be told this wasn't his first time plundering a tomb, but had the strangest feeling. One that suggested that Yes the Grave Robber would see him again but maybe Wahid wouldn't be seeing them.


	2. Meat and Bone

Aladdins dreams were plagued with images of his friends burning, being engulfed by unquenchable flames, silent screams emanating from their gaunt faces. His beloved Jasmine was tied to a stake on a pyre, her body engulfed in the inferno. Her bonds broke and she stumbled forward, she began to dance. As he watched her dance Aladdin could see her skin and flesh melt from her like candle wax. In the end it was her skeleton dancing in the flames and in the distance Aladdin could hear music, almost festival like music. Jasmine's skeleton stopped dancing and walked over the where her beloved was standing. She ran her hot clickity bone fingers through his hair and asked him "Do you trust me?"

The scene shifted and Aladdin was running through the streets of Agrabah an un-dead Razoul close behind , a low moan rising from his chest. "Brains...brains...brains!" The image distorted again. Now he was at dagger rock, looking at the giant crystal Mozenrath had used to try and trap his best friend. Mozenrath's face appeared in the crystal and began to speak.

" Sutures. Antiseptic." It said without any expression. "Apply more pressure...it's in there deep...on my count, one two, three." All around, Aladdin's world was flooded with red. Then he was falling into darkness, but he could still hear Mozenrath's voice. " Don't move, keep the pressure there. We don't want to loose him."

Loose who, loose Aladdin? It was a very confusing dream. The darkness dissipated, Mozenrath's voice came in again "breathing is normal. Slight fever, we will have to watch that. Xerxes, stay with him. I'll be back."

Aladdin drifted in a grey void, through dreams where his friends became dust and nightmares where an insidious liquid ran up his hands and burned him. Melting flesh off bone. He woke, jolting out of sleep. There was a soft "umph" from behind him. Aladdin was covered in a cold sweat, he was shaking, from terror or illness he did not know. He felt something stir behind him. It was Xerxes, Mozenrath's wretched eel.

"Hero awake!" Exclaimed the eel.

"Excellent," said a voice in the dark. It was ,of course Mozenrath, he strode over to where Aladdin was laying and knelt down beside him. Aladdin noticed that his arch foe wasn't looking like is normal evil self. His traditional regent garb was gone and replaced by close fitting black cloths. Every inch of him from his neck down was covered in black, his turban was gone and his hair was pulled back tight and secured at the back of his neck. He looked like a shadow,a smug, arrogant, evil, egotistical shadow

"How are you feeling?" he asked with a sadistic smile.

Aladdin gave him a blank stare. Those were four words he never expected to hear come from the young rulers mouth. They almost sounded sincere if not for that wicked smile. Mozenrath shook his head, "Never mind, don't answer that. You probably feel horrid. I would too if I had lost that much blood. You are quite the bleeder, must be from all that running. I almost couldn't get the bleeding to stop, but you're alive."

Aladdin was suddenly aware of a throbbing pain on his left inner leg above his knee. It was bandaged with a clean white cloth, that had been Mozenrath's doing. But why? Why help someone you hate? This wasn't making any sense and Aladdin wondered if he were still dreaming.

"Don't touch that!" commanded the sorcerer. Aladdin moved his hand away and back down to his side. "It needs time to heal. Unfortunately time is something we don't have a lot of."

"What do you mean." Aladdin hated it when his foes were cryptic. Was it too much to ask for an adversary who didn't like riddles or petty mind games?

" Ah, so you're not in shock then and do in fact have the power of speech. Very good." Mozenrath said in a mocking tone. "I was so worried you weren't going to be able to talk, we would have been deprived of all the wise and wizened things you would have had to say."

Aladdin tolerated the sorcerers rude remarks, if Mozenrath was being snarky then clearly all was not lost. "Whats happened?" asked the hero.

"A coup, my heroic friend, a coup. The mamlocks have decided to revolt and become their own nation apart from the Land of the Black Sand. Which is treasonous on a variety of levels, not only against me but the basic laws that govern our state. They have decided they no longer need a form of government to protect them, and they are off to conquer this forsaken city, all it's inhabitants and soon all of the seven deserts and most likely the world. They are an unstoppable force unlike any other. It is equal parts inspiring and terrifying."

"Terrified?" Said Aladdin with a smirk "Big bad you, terrified?"

"They're eating brains! I can understand your lack of concern, but unlike yourself some of us use what's up here." He indicated the top of his forehead "however you probably have less to worry about." His eel tried to suppress a laugh.

Aladdin turned to his rescuer "So whats the plan. How do we stop this?"

"Stop it? You don't stop something like this. It would be like stopping a hurricane. No, we don't stop it, we get out of the way" Mozenrath sighed " the best we can hope for is escape."

"Alright, so just open up one of your portals and send us to Agrabah"

Mozenrath turned to him and looked as if he had said something profane. "Interlopers, Outsiders, you're all the same." The dark Official muttered under his breath, "You don't understand I can't do that. It's not that easy. There's a method. I have to have grids and know where I'm going and have a specific destination or person in mind before I open up one of those. If I didn't we could end up in the middle of the sea, inside a volcano, Morbia. Is that something you want? Leave the brain eating inquisition only to suffer an equally horrible death? Why don't you leave the hard mathematics and eldrich geometry to the person who's studied it. "

"Then how did you find me?" asked Aladdin incredulously.

"That flair, after I saw that it was easy to track the only human presence in the area. I know ever inch of my city, so all I had to do was narrow down the probability of where you might be in My home."

" So why can't you do that with other places?"

"Really? Are you that dense? If a place is close by in proximity it is easier to get to than to a place that is farther away." Mozenrath sighed and looked hopeful that his new companion grasped this concept " Do you understand? "

"No." Replied the recipient of this long lecture.

Mozenrath put his face in his hands and sighed. " You wouldn't happen to be able to call up you djinni friend, would you?"

It was Aladdin's turn to sigh " No, I asked him to stay in Agrabah. I was afraid you were going to do something terrible to him."

"I thought as much. It never hurts to ask."

"So what do we do now?"

"Now, you should rest. Water is in the basin next to the mat. If you need anything let Xerxes or myself know and if it is within our power we will get it for you."

Aladdin nodded and went back to his sick bed. Before he sat down though he asked " Why didn't you let me die out there. Why not leave me to the mamlocks, wouldn't that have been easier?"

There was a long silence before the dark wizard answered"Wow, Aladdin, I really thought you knew me better than that. If something or someone is going to kill you I want it to be me." Aladdin could feel the goose-flesh spread over his skin, then Mozenrath said with a wicked smile, "I'm keeping you alive so there is always the possibility of murder later."

Aladdin knew with certainty he would not be able to rest easy now, which was probably Mozenrath's intent.

Mozenrath watched as Aladdin drank the water from the basin, the hero was looking distraught which was to be expected after watching people from your community get ripped to shreds like confetti. No, thought Mozenrath, sleep was definitely not in the cards for his enemy, good thing he had drugged the water. Aladdin was trusting and wouldn't realize until it was too late that something was seriously off about his drowsiness. It was for the best though, the hero wouldn't have willingly slept if Mozenrath hadn't done so. Like many of his endeavors he saw it as a necessary evil. Aladdin had lost at least a two eighths of his blood when Mozenrath had pulled him through the portal and he had lost more when Mozenrath had to remove the crystal shards from Aladdin's leg, he needed to heal,.

Hours had passed and a soft glow was coming from beneath the window. Hmm, he thought, they're rioting. Not that they ever stopped rioting. It was the most lively Mozenrath had ever witnessed the mamlocks being, it almost had a frenzy feel to it. Something that would gather energy, people, Other people and would refuse to stop, something about it was inviting. An exciting enticement, a singular beat, an underlying message, not that Mozenrath wanted to find out what the message was. Probably a petition to recall him from office, those ungrateful jerks. After all he had done for them, now they wanted to recall him?

"Xerxes. Come here." The eel swam through the air toward him. " Make sure Aladdin doesn't leave this room. He's slightly insane with that hero complex he has going on in his head and I'm worried that if he finds out that I've gone on a search and retrieval mission he will follow me. Ultimately leading to his and our doom. This, of course, is unacceptable. Do you understand?"

The eel gave a slight nod and slithered back to monitor the unconscious youth. " What if master does not return?" ask the eel.

Mozenrath sighed " Then find a better way of escaping, and if you happen to encounter my infected body make no hesitation to end me. Is that clear?"

The eel flinched at this last, he knew what his master was saying ' if I don't come back I'm dead, or I've joined them. And soon you will do the same.' If his master couldn't make it no one could. Mozenrath was a lot of things, but he was first and foremost a resilient survivor. He had survived encounters with deadly beasts, he had survived being trapped in the crystal of Ix, he had survived a deadly airballon ride across the most ruthless part of the desert and an encounter with the incarnation of evil. He would survive this, Xerxes knew he would.

Mozenrath concentrated, and with his mind, tore open a space in time and dimension. He slipped through and was gone.

Xerxes knew that opening the portals was dangerous, he knew that traveling between the geometry of space and time could not be brought about by a wholly sane person. Which had been part of the reason Xerxes and his Master had ended up in this wasteland desert. Xerxes had had his reservations about leaving their seaside home in pursuit of knowledge and experience with Destane, but their Dean and Eternal High Priest had been deadly clear that they wanted them to study with Destane. Specifically Destane, it couldn't be anyone else, it had to be with Destane or else.

When Mozenrath had been elected the head of the political community their dean had been overjoyed. They congratulated them on fulfilling the first part of the mission and that they should standby for further instruction and in the mean time build their numbers. Maybe now that their city was in a state of rebellion the dean and higher circle would lose interest in the project, maybe they would get to go home. But that was unlikely, if they failed to keep the Land of the Black Sand and it's citizens Xerxes knew that a fate worse than death awaited them. It would only be a matter of time.

Down in the lower levels of the Citadel Mozenrath found himself outside an armory, he had only been in there a few times. Weaponry appalled him, which is why in his previous attacks on the seven deserts and Agrabah he had relied completely on his own cunning and natural abilities. He opened up the arsenal and smiled. Oh yes, this was going to work. The first order of business was to find a means of transporting the weapons back to base. He quickly perused his options and found a bag, a few shoulder and traditional belts with their respective sheaths and blades. He then acquired several whetting stones and about six dozen vials of combustible and flammable liquid. He wrapped those up in an extra layer of cloth and carefully placed them in an outside pocket. Those would come in handy during a pinch and he didn't want anything happening to them while he was transporting them.

He placed the machete belt around his waist and slung the bag over his back when he felt that he had sufficient supplies and started making his way back up to base. The portal option was out for the time being. It had cost him a third of his energy to get down to the armory and he wasn't exactly up to snuff right now. What with the revolution and supplies like food a and water hitting an all time low, no he would have to go back on foot.

They had enough supplies to make it through a few more days and then they would need to find more or leave. He wasn't really concerned though, his main priority was making it through the night. If he could do that then he could in good consciousness worry about tomorrow.

He had made it half way back to his hiding place when he heard the moaning. "Brains, brains, brains, brains..." He quickened his pace.

The base of operations was located in the astronomy tower. It was a small room that had once only been accessible by a flight of spiraling wooden stairs. The first thing he had done after getting up there was destroy the stairs. They were now just a crispy pile of ashes lining the circumference of the tower.

Come on, he thought, come on almost there. The moaning was getting progressively louder.

A couple agonizingly terrorized minutes later he had made it to the tower, only he wasn't alone. Three of the living dead stood in his way and they were watching the door intently. He took an involuntary breath in. The zombies immediately sensed the living man in the room and turned around.

Mozenrath lowered the bag from his shoulder and placed it on the ground, he drew his machete and glared back at the slobbering monsters. These were the creatures who had revolted against him after he had sworn, on his life,to protect from harm and destruction. Traitors! Well if anything was going to destroy them now it was going to be him.

They lunged at him, mouths open fingers extended. Their eyes yellow and filmy. He dodged the first one and with one deft move sliced off its head. The decapitated cranium rolled down the stone stairs behind him. Another attacked, he ripped that one open from groin to sternum. Powering through the hard bone of the rib cage into the esophagus, through the jaw and into the brain. With a flick of his wrist the whole skeletal mask ripped in half. It's tainted blood painted the floor.

The third one was smaller than the other two, but that didn't merit the traitor mercy. He dropped to the floor, kicked it's legs out from beneath it , used his momentum to bring himself back up and relieved the zombie of its head. By the end of it both he and the floor were regrettably bloody, but that was the price you paid when you wanted to survive.

He looked up at the now opened door. Aladdin was standing in it's frame with a rope ladder and a somewhat shocked expression. He threw down the ladder which was attached to the interior wall of the safe room.

Mozenrath sheathed the machete, gathered the supplies and proceeded to climb up. Once he had reached the top he pulled the ladder up and draped it over a table. There was an awkward silence between him and his former foe. He placed the weaponry down, leaned against the wall and slid down landing on the floor, exhausted.

"When did you learn to fight like that?" asked the hero

" Along time ago,"

"So why have you never fought like that against..."

"It wouldn't have been very sporting and I don't enjoy killing people like that. It's incredibly in-personable"

"Really? So, if you had had a blade instead of your magic I would be dead?"

"It's a possibility" Snapped Mozenrath

"Not a likely one" retorted his companion

Mozenrath glared up at the hero " Are we done here?"

"No." Said the hero,and he charged the regent and pined him against the door. Mozenrath's back was to the door, Aladdin had him pinned against the flimsy structure, one hand braced on the frame and the other arm across Mozenrath's shoulders, all of Aladdins weight and momentum rested on his uninjured leg. Mozenrath could feel something sharp right under his jawline, so the hero had been planning this attack "If you intend to escape this place alive you will tell me everything I want to know, or the traitor mamlocks will be the least of your worries."

The door frame shook and Mozenrath could feel it beginning to give beneath their combined weight.

"Tick tock, Mozenrath, your choice and if I don't like what I hear I'll feed your insides to your people."


End file.
